Are you exceptionally interested in the governance of migration, integration and diversity processes at the urban level, and specifically in the role of non-governmental institutions in a comparative setting? Is it your ambition to embark on an academic career in an internationally competitive environment? Do you like a challenging job in a dynamic setting?

The Department of Sociology of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences is looking for a postdoctoral researcher. We are seeking a social scientist specialized in the combination of migration and urban studies.

The post-doc project is part of a larger comparative project funded by the EU under the Horizon program. The research team is partly based in the University of Amsterdam, partly in Koç University in Istanbul and partly in the Universidad Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. The postdoc is expected to contribute to joint activities as well.

What are you going to do

The larger project, entitled BROAD-ER, aims at building a Research Excellence Network which will foster interdisciplinary research and education at the nexus of migration and urban studies. It will offer scientific and research management training activities to researchers including research proposal management, key transferable skills (ethical issues, diversity, equity and inclusion, scientific outreach, entrepreneurship, technology transfer, etc.) while addressing research excellence in the project's fields. The training plans will be complemented with mobility activities allowing the establishment of networking structures and increasing the partner's internationalization.

On top of that, three post-doc researchers based at each of the partner universities will carry out interrelated research projects. These projects will examine themes from a multidisciplinary perspective, namely: i) how cities seek autonomy from the central government, adapt to diverse new roles, and develop new policy solutions and capacity-governance building, ii) how cities move towards forming more international, bilateral and multilateral relations with other cities as well as international organizations (city diplomacy), and iii) how actors at the urban level such as business people and community organizers develop new responses to their needs and the challenges they are facing, without involving the urban government therein.

The current post-doc based at UvA is expected to focus on the third theme.

A more extensive program description is available upon request.

Tasks

You will be actively contributing to the BROAD-ER program as a whole, to the department and its the program groups, to UvA's interdisciplinary centers such as the Center for Urban Studies (CUS) and the Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies (IMES), and so forth.

The post will require you:

• to contribute to the broad and diverse research profile of sociology in Amsterdam by publishing in high-impact journals and with academic publishing houses, and participating in national and international research networks;
• to develop and carry out empirical research at a high academic level, develop international leadership in this field, develop a line of research in collaboration with our partners from the BROAD-ER network, and staff members and other researchers working at the department and the wider Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR);
• to acquire and help to acquire external funding for research (if need be);
• to engage in activities in the public sphere and in other arenas outside academia;
• to carry out organizational and administrative tasks for the wider BROAD-ER project.

The ideal candidate has ambition and drive, has the ability to work under pressure, and has the right mix of independence and teamwork.

Your experience and profile

You have:

• a PhD degree in social sciences; the degree must be obtained before October 2022;
• general knowledge of the field of the social sciences, including a clear track record in both migration and urban studies.
• a track record in empirical social-scientific research in the specialization mentioned, as exemplified in a publication record in internationally peer reviewed journals and/or books published by internationally recognized presses;
• mastery of internationally comparative, quantitative and/or qualitative research methods;
• organizational skills;
• proven commitment to public or policy sociology and/or engagement with non-academic actors.

The position concerns temporary employment of 30,4 to 38 hours per week for a maximum term of three years. Due to the funding requirements, the post-doc must start on 1 November 2022.

The initial employment is for 8 months. Following a positive assessment and barring altered circumstances this term will be extended by a maximum of 28 months. We will put together a curriculum which will also include the opportunity to attend training courses and both national and international events.

For this position the University Job Classification "Researcher 3" applies.

Depending on your relevant experience, the minimum salary is €3,974 and the maximum salary is €5,439 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, in keeping with salary scale 11, as per the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities.

We additionally offer an extensive package of secondary benefits, including 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.

The UvA offers excellent possibilities for further professional development and education.

What else do we offer

• a position in which initiative and input are highly valued;
• an enthusiastic and warm team that is open to new colleagues;
• an inspiring academic and international working environment in the heart of Amsterdam.

Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest spectrum of degree programmes. It is an intellectual hub with 39,000 students, 6,000 employees and 3,000 doctoral students who are all committed to a culture of inquiring minds.

A challenging work environment with a variety of duties and ample scope for individual initiative and development within an inspiring organization. The social and behavioral sciences play a leading role in addressing the major societal challenges faced by the world, the Netherlands and Amsterdam, now and in the future.

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.